3 Best Radio Apps To Listen To Local AM/FM Radio Without Data For LG V40 ThinQ

If you just picked up the LG V40 ThinQ and are looking for a way that you can listen to the radio without using your data plan, then you’ve come to the right place. All smartphones have the capability of listening to the radio without using the data plan — that’s because they all have an AM/FM radio chip inside of them. On the downside of things, this chip is usually turned off by the carrier, at least in the United States. So, if you want to listen to actual FM radio with your phone, you’ll want ti first see if your carrier can turn that on for you.

If they can’t do that, not all hope is lost. If you follow along below, we’ll show you a couple ways that you can listen to radio, even with that chip turned off. Not only that, but we’ll show you how you can listen to radio without it affecting your data plan, if your carrier can get that FM chip turned on!

TuneIn Radio is the first and best way to listen to radio. Most smartphones don’t have their FM chips turned on, so TuneIn Radio provides you with a way to listen to your favorite shows over a data connection. They actually broadcast around 100,000 radio stations across the United States and internationally. You’ll be able to listen to podcasts on TuneIn Radio, your favorite stations, talk radio, and more.

TuneIn Radio is unique in that it’s one of the few “radio” apps on the market that can work with your digital assistant. If you want to listen to something on radio, with the OK, Google hot word enabled, you can simply say things like “OK Google, listen to ESPN Radio” or “OK Google, listen to Nash FM.”

iHeartRadio comes in as second on our list, but this is one of the most popular ways to listen to your favorite radio stations. Create an iHeartRadio account and you can listen to all sorts of excellent content — there’s something here for all types of interests. Whether you’re someone that likes to listen to radio stations, stream music, catch a podcast, or listen to talk radio, iHeartRadio has something for you in their app.

The service has a wide range of content that you can use, too. If you’re a big country music fan, you can catch some of the biggest country stations in the nation — Nash FM or WYCD. Or, if you want to listen to a specific song, you can do that, too. Want to play No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande? Despacito by Justin Bieber? It’s no problem for iHeartRadio!

But, if you want some extra functionality, iHeartRadio does have a subscription service where you have unlimited skips, replay capability, and the ability to save songs from the radio. There’s even offline listening available.

NextRadio comes in as last on our list, but this is the closest you can get to an app that will play AM and FM radio off of radio waves. Keep in mind that you have to have that FM Receiver turned on in order to use it; but once it is, just pick your favorite station and listen! NextRadio can even use your headphones as an antenna!

Even if you don’t have that FM Receiver turned on by your carrier, you can still listen to NextRadio — it’ll just use your data plan instead. The “pro” here is that you’ll still get to listen to your favorite radio stations no matter what!

What we really like about NextRadio is its ability to stream efficiently. You don’t have to worry about this app sucking up your data plan — NextRadio is very efficient on the data. You could stream for a couple of hours straight and only use a few megabytes of your plan. You don’t have to worry about it sucking you dry, leaving you with crazy overage charges.

Verdict

These are all excellent ways that you can listen to radio with your LG V40 ThinQ. However, NextRadio is the only way that you can actually listen to radio without your data plan, and that does require you to have that FM chip enabled in your phone. However, if you don’t have it enabled, you can still listen to radio through other means, as we’ve shown you!

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